Pallet for supporting and stacking rolls of material

ABSTRACT

A pallet comprising a primary body having an upper deck, a lower deck, and a set of lift channels. The upper deck includes horizontally extending upper surfaces and downwardly sloping walls extending from the upper surfaces. The horizontally extending upper surfaces are configured to receive flat objects. The downwardly sloping walls form upper support cradles for receiving horizontally-oriented curved objects thereon. The lower deck includes horizontally extending lower surfaces and upwardly sloping walls extending from the lower surfaces. The horizontally extending lower surfaces are configured to be positioned on flat objects. The upwardly sloping walls form lower support cradles for positioning the pallet on horizontally extending curved objects. The lift channels are vertically spaced from the upper support cradles and the lower support cradles such that the curved objects positioned above and below the pallet will not interfere with lifting forks being inserted into the lift channels.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application is a regular utility non-provisional patent application and claims priority benefit with regard to all common subject matter of earlier-filed U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/247,524, filed on Dec. 15, 2015, and entitled “PALLET FOR SUPPORTING AND STACKING ROLLS OF MATERIAL”. The identified earlier-filed provisional patent application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety into the present application.

BACKGROUND

Pallets are often used for supporting and moving various types of articles and may be constructed from many different materials including wood, metal, fiberglass, and plastic. Pallets are typically designed to be loaded and moved by forklifts, hand trucks, cranes, or other specialized handling or loading equipment and therefore are typically constructed with forklift channels through which forklift tines, pallet jacks, or hand jacks may be inserted.

Most pallets are designed to support boxes and other items with flat lower surfaces and therefore are typically constructed with relatively flat or planar upper decks. However, pallets are also often used to support rolls of material and other items with curved lower surfaces, and such items tend to roll off flat-topped pallets. To accommodate curved objects, some pallets are constructed with cradles or other depressions on their upper decks. Unfortunately, when pallets with rolls supported on them are stacked on top of each other, these cradles allow the rolls supported on the pallets to extend into and block the fork channels of the pallets such that the pallets can no longer be picked up and moved by forklifts, pallet jacks, or hand jacks without damaging the rolls.

Another limitation of pallets designed to support rolls of material is that they cannot be easily stacked when rolls are supported on the pallets.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the invention solve the above-mentioned problems and provide a distinct advance in the art of pallets. More particularly, the present invention provides a pallet that allows curved objects to be stacked thereon without the curved objects interfering with lift channels of the pallet. The pallet can also be stacked on another pallet holding curved objects without the curved objects interfering with the lift channels of either pallet.

An embodiment of the pallet comprises an upper deck, a lower deck opposite the upper deck, a front wall, a rear wall opposite the front wall, a first side wall, a second side wall opposite the first side wall, and a set of lift channels. The upper deck includes a number of horizontally extending upper surfaces and a number of downwardly sloping walls extending from the upper surfaces. The horizontally extending upper surfaces are configured to support flat objects such as boxes or other pallets. The downwardly sloping walls form upper support cradles for supporting curved objects thereon. The upper support cradles define lowermost apices. The lower deck may include horizontally extending lower surfaces and a number of upwardly sloping walls extending from the lower surfaces. The upwardly sloping walls form lower support cradles for stacking the pallet on another pallet supporting curved objects. The lower support cradles define uppermost apices. The curved objects could be cylindrical tanks, canisters, tubes, pipes, rolls, or any other curved objects.

The lift channels extend through the pallet between the front and rear walls and allow the pallet to be lifted via lifting forks of a forklift or pallet jack inserted into the lift channels. Importantly, the lift channels include upper walls positioned below the lowermost apices of the upper support cradles and may include lower walls positioned above the uppermost apices of the lower support cradles. In this way, curved objects positioned in the upper support cradles and curved objects positioned in the lower support cradles will not interfere with the lifting forks being inserted into the lift channels. This allows the pallet to be lifted without damaging or displacing the curved objects.

Another embodiment of the pallet includes structure that permits the pallet to support curved objects while being stacked on another pallet supporting previously stacked curved objects. Specifically, the pallet includes upper support cradles and lower support cradles that are vertically aligned with the upper support cradles such that curved objects supported on the pallet and curved objects on which the pallet is being stacked are aligned. This allows the curved objects to be stacked, lifted, and moved as a multi-layered unit. The upper support cradles may have the same size and shape and the lower support cradles may have the same size and shape. The upper support cradles may have the same size and shape as the lower support cradles.

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiments and the accompanying drawing figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pallet constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of the pallet of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front elevation view of the pallet of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of the pallet of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of two pallets and two sets of large curved objects forming a stacked column; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of two pallets and two sets of relatively smaller curved objects forming another stacked column.

The drawing figures do not limit the present invention to the specific embodiments disclosed and described herein. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The following detailed description of the invention references the accompanying drawings that illustrate specific embodiments in which the invention can be practiced. The embodiments are intended to describe aspects of the invention in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. Other embodiments can be utilized and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense. The scope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

In this description, references to one embodiment“, an embodiment”, or “embodiments” mean that the feature or features being referred to are included in at least one embodiment of the technology. Separate references to one embodiment“, an embodiment”, or “embodiments” in this description do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment and are also not mutually exclusive unless so stated and/or except as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the description. For example, a feature, structure, act, etc. described in one embodiment may also be included in other embodiments, but is not necessarily included. Thus, the current technology can include a variety of combinations and/or integrations of the embodiments described herein.

Turning to the drawing figures, a pallet 10 constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. The pallet 10 broadly comprises an upper deck 12, a lower deck 14, a front wall 16, a rear wall 18, a left side wall 20, a right side wall 22, a first set of lift channels 24, and a second set of lift channels 26.

The pallet 10 may be rectangular, square, or any other suitable shape and size. In one embodiment, the pallet 10 may be approximately sixty-six inches long, sixty-six inches wide, and twelve inches thick. The pallet 10 may be formed of molded plastic or other synthetic resin materials, wood, metal, or any other suitable material and may have a rough or high-friction surface for reducing slip of objects stacked thereon.

The upper deck 12 receives objects thereon and may include a number of horizontally extending upper surfaces 28 and a number of downwardly sloping walls 30. The horizontally extending upper surfaces 28 support flat objects such as boxes, vertically-stacked cylindrical objects, and other pallets, and extend between upper edges of the downwardly sloping walls 30. The horizontally extending upper surfaces 28 may include notches, guides, contours, bosses, and/or other features for aligning and retaining the flat objects or other pallets on the pallet 10 and “locking” the flat objects or other pallets to the pallet 10. The notches or guides may be rotationally symmetric about orthogonal axes so that the pallet 10 can be rotated ninety degrees with respect to the flat objects or other pallets being stacked on the pallet 10.

The downwardly sloping walls 30 extend diagonally from the horizontally extending upper surfaces 28 so as to form V-shaped or U-shaped upper support cradles 32 for supporting curved objects. The upper support cradles 32 define apices 34, which are the lowermost points of the upper support cradles 32. The apices 34 are positioned above upper walls of the lift channels 24, 26, as described in more detail below. The upper support cradles 32 may extend from the front wall 16 to the rear wall 18 or from the first side wall 20 to the second side wall 22.

The lower deck 14 is configured to rest on a floor or ground surface, other pallets, and/or other stacked flat or rounded objects and may include a number of horizontally extending lower surfaces 36 and a number of upwardly sloping walls 38. The horizontally extending lower surfaces 36 rest on a floor, ground surface, and/or flat objects such as boxes, vertically-stacked cylindrical tanks, and other pallets, and extend between lower edges of the upwardly sloping walls 38. The horizontally extending lower surfaces 36 may include notches, guides, contours, bosses, and/or other features for aligning the pallet 10 on flat objects or other pallets and “locking” pallet 10 to the flat objects or other pallets. The notches or guides may be rotationally symmetric about orthogonal axes so that the pallet 10 can be rotated ninety degrees with respect to the flat objects or other pallets on which the pallet 10 is being stacked.

The upwardly sloping walls 38 extend diagonally from the horizontally extending lower surfaces 36 so as to form V-shaped or U-shaped lower support cradles 40. The lower support cradles 40 define apices 42, which are the uppermost points of the lower support cradles 40. The apices 42 are positioned below lower walls of the lift channels 24, 26, as described in more detail below. The lower support cradles 40 may extend from the front wall 16 to the rear wall 18 or from the left side wall 20 to the right side wall 22.

The front wall 16 and rear wall 18 extend vertically between front and rear edges of the upper deck 12 and lower deck 14 on opposite ends of the pallet 10. The left and right side walls 20, 22 extend vertically between side edges of the upper deck 12 and lower deck 14 on opposite sides of the pallet 10. The side walls 16, 18, 20, 22 include lift channel openings 44 for providing access to the lift channels 24, 26. The left and right side walls 20, 22 may also include notches, guides, or other features for interlocking pallets side by side or for preventing pallets from sliding along a wall or shelf.

The first set of lift channels 24 extend from the front wall 16 to the rear wall 18 for receiving lifting forks of a forklift, pallet jack, hand jack, or other lifting device and include an upper wall 46 and a lower wall 48. Importantly, the upper wall 46 is positioned below the lowermost apices 34 of the upper support cradles 32 such that curved objects supported in the upper support cradles 32 do not block or interfere with the insertion of lifting forks in the lift channels 24. The lower wall 48 is positioned above the uppermost apices 42 of the lower support cradles 40 such that curved objects in the lower support cradles 40 do not block or interfere with the insertion of lifting forks in the lift channels 24. In another embodiment, the lift channels 24 may intersect with the upper support cradles 32 and/or lower support cradles 40 without allowing curved objects received in the upper support cradles 32 and lower support cradles 40 to block or interfere with the insertion of lifting forks in the lift channels 24. The lift channels 24 may extend fully from the front wall 16 and rear wall 18 such that lifting forks may be inserted completely through the pallet 10.

The second set of lift channels 26 extend between the left and right side walls 20, 22 for receiving lifting forks of a forklift, pallet jack, hand jack, or other lifting device and include an upper wall 50 and a lower wall 52. Importantly, the upper wall 50 is positioned below the lowermost apices 34 of the upper support cradles 32 such that curved objects supported in the upper support cradles 32 do not block or interfere with the insertion of lifting forks in the lift channels 24. The lower wall 52 may be positioned above the uppermost apices 42 of the lower support cradles 40 such that curved objects in the lower support cradles 40 do not block or interfere with the insertion of lifting forks in the lift channels 24. In another embodiment, the lift channels 26 may intersect with the upper support cradles 32 and/or lower support cradles 40 without allowing curved objects in the upper support cradles 32 and lower support cradles 40 to block or interfere with the insertion of lifting forks in the lift channels 26. The lift channels 26 may extend fully from the left and right side walls 22, 24 such that lifting forks may be inserted completely through the pallet 10. The lift channels 26 may intersect with the lift channels 24 such that lifting forks can be inserted through either the lift channels 24 or the lift channels 26 but not both at the same time. Alternatively, the lift channels 26 may extend above or below the lift channels 24.

Use of the pallet 10 will now be described in more detail. First, lifting forks of a forklift, lifting jack, or hand jack may be inserted into the first lift channels 24 or second lift channels 26, depending on which set of lift channels is more accessible. The pallet 10 may then be raised and moved via the lift channels 24, 26. The pallet 10 may then be positioned on a floor, ground surface, shelf, rack, other pallet, or previously stacked flat objects via the horizontally extending lower surfaces 36. The notches or guides on the lower surfaces 36 may be aligned with features of the shelf, rack, other pallet, or previously stacked flat objects to ensure that the pallet 10 does not slip horizontally.

The pallet 10 may also be positioned on previously stacked round objects via the lower support cradles 40. That is, the pallet 10 may be positioned so that the previously stacked round objects are positioned in some or all of the lower support cradles 40. Importantly, the pallet 10 may be safely positioned on and lifted off of the previously stacked round objects without them being damaged or displaced because the lower walls 48 of the first set of lift channels 24 (and optionally the lower walls 52 of the second set of lift channels 26) are positioned above the uppermost apices 42 of the lower support cradles 40.

Additional flat objects or other pallets may be stacked on top of the pallet 10 via the horizontally extending upper surfaces 28. Features of the additional flat objects or other pallets may be aligned with the notches or guides on the upper surfaces 28 to ensure that the additional flat objects or other pallets do not slip horizontally.

Round objects may be stacked on the pallet 10 via the upper support cradles 32. That is, the round objects may be positioned in or on some or all of the upper support cradles 32. Importantly, the pallet 10 may be safely lifted with the round objects supported in the upper support cradles 32 because upper walls 46 of the first set of lift channels 24 (and optionally the upper walls 50 of the second set of lift channels 26) are positioned below the lowermost apices 34 of the upper support cradles 32.

The above-described pallet 10 provides several advantages over conventional systems. For example, the lowermost apices 34 of the upper support cradles 32 and the uppermost apices 42 of the lower support cradles 40 are positioned so that objects stacked in the support cradles 32, 40 do not interfere with the lift channels 24, 40. The pallet 10 includes at least two sets of lift channels 24, 40 with the first set of lift channels 24 extending between the front wall 16 to the rear wall 18 and the second set of lift channels 26 extending between the left and right side walls 22, 24 so that the pallet 10 can be accessed, lifted, lowered, and moved from a number of directions. The upper support cradles 32 and lower support cradles 40 allow for both large rolls and small roles to be stacked under and on the pallet 10.

Turning now to FIGS. 5 and 6, a pallet 100 constructed in accordance with another embodiment of the invention broadly comprises an upper deck, lower deck, front wall, and rear wall substantially similar to the components described above except that the upper support cradles 102 of the upper deck are vertically aligned with the lower support cradles 104 of the lower deck so that curved objects stacked below the pallet 100 and curved objects stacked on the pallet 100 are vertically aligned with each other. The upper support cradles 102 and lower support cradles 104 may be positioned symmetrically about a longitudinal axis so that weight is equally distributed to the curved objects on which the pallet 100 is stacked. This simplifies stacking and makes lifting a multi-layer stack of objects and safer and more predictable. The lower support cradles 104 may also be the same size and shape as the upper support cradles 102.

In one embodiment, the upper support cradles 102 may include three upper support cradles spaced apart from each other and extending parallel to each other such that two large curved objects (e.g., large rolls 200) may be positioned in the outermost upper support cradles 102, as shown in FIG. 5, or three smaller curved objects (e.g., smaller rolls 202) may be supported in the upper support cradles 102, as shown in FIG. 6. The lower support cradles 104 may include three lower support cradles spaced apart from each other and extending parallel to each other such that two large curved objects (e.g., large rolls 300) may be positioned in the outermost lower support cradles 104, as shown in FIG. 5, or three smaller curved objects (e.g., smaller rolls 302) may be positioned in the lower support cradles 104, as shown in FIG. 6.

The above-described pallet 100 provides several advantages over conventional systems. For example, the upper support cradles 102 and lower support cradles 104 may be vertically aligned with each other for allowing round objects to be stacked in a multi-layered column and lifted and moved as a unit. The upper support cradles 102 and lower support cradles 104 may also be symmetrical about a longitudinal axis so that weight can be evenly distributed, which simplifies stacking and improves safety. Two large curved objects or three smaller curved objects may be positioned in the upper support cradles 102 and lower support cradles 104, which allows pallets and other flat objects and round objects of varying sizes to be stacked on top of each other in a highly stable and efficient manner.

Although the invention has been described with reference to the embodiments illustrated in the attached drawing figures, it is noted that equivalents may be employed and substitutions made herein without departing from the scope of the invention as recited in the claims. 

Having thus described various embodiments of the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent includes the following:
 1. A pallet comprising: an upper deck including a number of horizontally extending upper surfaces and a number of downwardly sloping walls forming upper support cradles for supporting curved objects thereon, the upper support cradles having lowermost apices; a lower deck opposite the upper deck; a front wall extending vertically between front edges of the upper deck and the lower deck; a rear wall extending vertically between rear edges of the upper deck and the lower deck opposite the front wall; a first side wall extending vertically between first side edges of the upper deck and the lower deck; a second side wall extending vertically between second side edges of the upper deck and the lower deck opposite the first side wall; and a first set of lift channels extending through the pallet for lifting the pallet via lifting forks, the first set of lift channels having upper walls positioned below the lowermost apices of the upper support cradles such that the curved objects positioned in the upper support cradles do not interfere with lifting forks being inserted into the first set of lift channels.
 2. The pallet of claim 1, wherein the upper support cradles include three upper support cradles spaced from and extending parallel to each other.
 3. The pallet of claim 2, wherein the three upper support cradles are configured to receive either two large curved objects side-by-side or three relatively smaller curved objects side-by-side.
 4. The pallet of claim 1, wherein the lower deck includes a number of horizontally extending lower surfaces and a number of upwardly sloping walls forming lower support cradles for positioning the pallet on curved objects, the lower support cradles having uppermost apices, the first set of lift channels further having lower walls positioned above the uppermost apices of the lower support cradles such that the curved objects positioned in the lower support cradles do not interfere with lifting forks being inserted into the first set of lift channels.
 5. The pallet of claim 4, wherein the upper support cradles and lower support cradles are symmetric about a longitudinal axis of the pallet such that weight is evenly distributed to the first set of lift channels when the upper support cradles and lower support cradles are loaded evenly.
 6. The pallet of claim 4, wherein the lower support cradles include three lower support cradles spaced from and extending parallel to each other.
 7. The pallet of claim 4, wherein the lower support cradles are vertically aligned with the upper support cradles.
 8. The pallet of claim 4, wherein the horizontally extending lower surfaces include a number of notches for aligning the pallet on flat objects.
 9. The pallet of claim 1, wherein the horizontally extending upper surfaces include a number of notches for aligning flat objects on the upper deck.
 10. The pallet of claim 1, further comprising a second set of lift channels extending through the pallet perpendicular to the first set of lift channels.
 11. The pallet of claim 10, wherein the first set of lift channels and the second set of lift channels intersect each other.
 12. A pallet comprising: an upper deck including a number of horizontally extending upper surfaces and a number of downwardly sloping walls forming upper support cradles for receiving curved objects thereon; a lower deck opposite the upper deck, the lower deck including a number of horizontally extending lower surfaces and a number of upwardly sloping walls forming lower support cradles for stacking the pallet on another pallet supporting curved objects, the lower support cradles being vertically aligned with the upper support cradles such that the pallet can support the curved objects while being stacked on another pallet supporting curved objects; a front wall extending vertically between front edges of the upper deck and the lower deck; a rear wall extending vertically between rear edges of the upper deck and the lower deck opposite the front wall; a first side wall extending vertically between first side edges of the upper deck and the lower deck; a second side wall extending vertically between second side edges of the upper deck and the lower deck opposite the first side wall; and a first set of lift channels for lifting the pallet.
 13. The pallet of claim 12, wherein the upper support cradles are vertically aligned with the lower support cradles.
 14. The pallet of claim 12, wherein the upper support cradles have lowermost apices and the first set of lift channels have upper walls positioned below the lowermost apices of the upper support cradles such that the curved objects positioned in the upper support cradles do not interfere with lifting forks being inserted into the first set of lift channels.
 15. The pallet of claim 14, wherein the lower support cradles have uppermost apices and the first set of lift channels have lower walls positioned above the uppermost apices of the lower support cradles such that the curved objects positioned in the lower support cradles do not interfere with lifting forks being inserted into the first set of lift channels.
 16. The pallet of claim 15, wherein the three upper support cradles are configured to receive either two large curved objects side-by-side or three relatively smaller curved objects side-by-side.
 17. The pallet of claim 15, wherein the three lower support cradles are configured to engage either two large curved objects side-by-side or three relatively smaller curved objects side-by-side.
 18. The pallet of claim 12, wherein the upper support cradles and the lower support cradles are symmetrically positioned about a longitudinally extending axis of the pallet such that weight is evenly distributed to the first set of lift channels when the upper support cradles and lower support cradles are loaded evenly.
 19. The pallet of claim 12, wherein the upper support cradles include three upper support cradles spaced from and extending parallel to each other and the lower support cradles include three lower support cradles spaced from and extending parallel to each other.
 20. A pallet comprising: an upper deck including a number of horizontally extending upper surfaces and a number of downwardly sloping walls forming upper support cradles for receiving curved objects thereon, the upper support cradles having lowermost apices; a lower deck opposite the upper deck, the lower deck including a number of horizontally extending lower surfaces and a number of upwardly sloping walls forming lower support cradles for stacking the pallet on another pallet supporting curved objects, the lower support cradles having uppermost apices, the lower support cradles being vertically aligned with the upper support cradles such that the pallet can support the curved objects while being stacked on another pallet supporting curved objects; a front wall extending vertically between front edges of the upper deck and the lower deck; a rear wall extending vertically between rear edges of the upper deck and the lower deck opposite the front wall; a first side wall extending vertically between first side edges of the upper deck and the lower deck; a second side wall extending vertically between second side edges of the upper deck and the lower deck opposite the first side wall; a first set of lift channels extending from the front wall to the rear wall for lifting the pallet via lifting forks from a first direction, the first set of lift channels having upper walls and lower walls opposite the upper walls; a second set of lift channels extending from the first side wall to the second side wall for lifting the pallet via lifting forks from a second direction, the upper walls of the first set of lift channels and the second set of lift channels positioned below the lowermost apices of the upper support cradles such that the curved objects positioned in the upper support cradles do not interfere with lifting forks being inserted into the first set of lift channels or the second set of lift channels, the lower walls of the first set of lift channels and the second set of lift channels positioned above the uppermost apices of the lower support cradles such that curved objects positioned in the lower support cradles do not interfere with lifting forks being inserted into the first set of lifting channels or the second set of lifting channels. 